Category Archives: General Rants

Stuff that I must post about, that does not fit in the marketing category.

What Blogging Will do for You

Written on January 7, 2009 by Kevin Urie

I went into blogging with certain goals in mind, but after 6 months I have gotten more from it then I would have ever imagined, and so can you.

When I started my blog, there were three reasons behind it.
1. To improve my writing skills
2. Get my opinionated ideas on paper, in an effort to free up my co-workers time.
3. So I could have two-way conversations with people about marketing ideas (Twitter does this now)

Here is a link to the first post that explains it a little more.

What I did not plan on getting out of blogging was the ability to refine my thoughts and communicate them more clearly, not only in writing but also in conversation. I don’t know why I did not expect this to happen, but it has been the biggest benefit I received from blogging, and I think you would as well.

We all have thousands of ideas storming around our heads all day (and sometimes night) long. We like to think we can recall them when needed, but we can’t always do that.

If we can recall those ideas they are not always well fleshed out or thought through. Certainly nothing you could use in a meeting with a client, unless you put a lot more time into developing them. By writing your ideas down, it helps you develop them materialize them and put them in a part of cognitive memory you can actually use.

Of course this is nothing new.  People have been saying to journal thoughts for thousands of years.  What’s great about a blog however, is that you have other people reading those thoughts, and improving upon them.  You also have somewhat of an accountability network to keep you going.

So if you don’t blog, give it a try for a few days.  Just go to http://posterous.com or http://wordpress.com/ and set one up.  Or if you already blog, do it more often.  (trying to take my own advice)

You will be amazed how when in meetings, or in talking with friends, you will all of a sudden start quoting your blog post.  It’s like having a support group of ideas ready to help you when needed.  Best of all they’re your ideas!

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Traditional Media don’t be Scared!

Written on December 10, 2008 by Kevin Urie

Why is it that traditional media and new media just can’t get along? Why is it that I go to countless presentations by TV and Radio stations and all they ever try to do is justify their existence?

It’s always about reach! They say “you can’t get reach like this anywhere else” (who are they kidding?). Or they try to sell their personal connection with their audience. I love when they say their website, has more dedicated followers that trust them and is more valuable than a typical website.

Seriously? When was the last time you felt a personal connection to a traditional media’s website more than say a social website?

Traditional media is not dead by any stretch of the imagination, nor will it be anytime soon, but with this type of talk they are sure digging their grave rather fast. Why aren’t they figuring out ways to develop deeper relationships and connections with their audience?

It’s because they are scared of loosing audience to other sites and using other formats they do not control. Sure they have all added blogs, but why won’t they reach out to their audience and connect in a more meaningful way? Why not have Facebook groups, Twitter profiles etc.?

No one wants to read a blog that talks about the same things they do on the air. They read a blog to find out what their DJ or news Anchorman is really like. Or at the very least to get a behind the scenes look at what is going on at the station.

I listen to the Hot AC radio station here in Seattle, (only in the morning mind you, it wakes me up) with an ideal Facebook demo, and they do not even have a Facebook Group that I can find. Their morning Jocks have Facebook profiles but they are private. (I would try to friend them, but don’t want that showing up on my profile!)

TV is the same way. I have a friend who is a Weatherman, and I have been trying to convince him to join Twitter. He could be the Weatherman for Twitter, and connect with his audience on a deeper way, but as of yet he has not done it.

Why do these traditional media formats avoid these social platforms? It’s all about controlling the audience. They still think they have control like they did 20 years ago, and sadly refuse to wake-up to the idea that they are now just a small part of people lives.

Only by embracing other media formats, and loosing control will they truly develop a deep relationship with their audiences. Once that relationship is established they will then have something more valuable then reach, they will have insight and a connection on a personal level.

In traditional media?  Let me know what you think.

Kevin Urie

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Social Media Burnout? Will we see social media Karo-jisatsu?

Written on December 8, 2008 by Kevin Urie

Are you almost burned out becuase of Social Media?

How long until a big time social media enthusiast burns out and leaves the medium all together?  Or ever worse, how long until someone that is on Twitter 7 days a week 18 hrs a day, finally has enough and either goes insane, or does the unthinkable because of the over work?

Getting online everyday, blogging, checking your Tweets, replying to Facebook invites etc. can be overwhelming.  I even find that simply Tweets or Facebook updates can just be a little too much for me on certain days.

You can love the space all you want, but at some point people need breaks.  We need to breakup our lives in order to give us balance.  Otherwise I see too many of us in the social media space becoming much like Japan’s Karo-jisatsu workers.

I am sure these Karo-jisatsu loved there job as well, and were trying to simply provide for their families and help others, but we must make sure everything is in balance.

All too often I find myself with my laptop in the family room as my wife and kids are doing something else.  Of course I justify it by saying I need to work harder, and stay on top of this stuff especially during these down economic times, but is it worth it? Probably not.

Finding that balance is different for everyone, but we all must try and be understating with others as they find their balance.  So next time you see 3 blog post, and 30 tweets on a Saturday or Sunday from your favorite social media guru, make sure to throw up a prayer to help the guy out.

At the very least be understanding if he does not get back to your ping immediately.

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Are You Learning from Others to Imitate or to Innovate?

Written on November 25, 2008 by Kevin Urie

Downturns in the economy bring great innovations, and is when many successful companies get their start.  Whether it be during the Great Depression when HP was founded, or during 1975 recession when Microsoft started. American’s are resilient and entrepreneurial, and when things get tough, we start innovating! (to read more on this see this link)

What are you doing to prosper during this economic slowdown?  Are you trying to innovate and think outside the box, or are you simply copying ideas from others?

Don’t get me wrong, I love to learn.  I subscribe to around a hundred RSS feeds (ok I need to cut the list down. I have 1,200 feeds to read today),  have too many Twitter friends than I can follow, and love a good book and a lively debate.  Learning from others is not the problem that holds us back from innovating, the problem is if we let others do the thinking for us.

When you are in learning from others, do you find yourself taking what they say and finding ways to apply it to your own life, or do you think about what they have to say and how it will impact the future?

If we do not think about current application and future implications, we are missing out on one of the best parts of learning.  We must apply, but we also must spend time thinking about innovation.  We should always be asking ourselves, of everything I have learned today, and everything I know, what’s next?  What is missing?  What is it that everyone else is talking about, but may have overlooked?

From this week on, I am challenging myself to spend time each day trying to innovate.  During this time I will use what I have learned to think outside the box and innovate.  This could simply be a new way to do some little task, or it could be developing new ideas on where marketing is headed.

Great companies do this.  3M allows time for their employees to think of new ideas, so does Google.  We need to take this time as well.

We spend countless hours reading and learning from others about their innovations.  Now it is our turn to  innovate!

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